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July 9, 2009
 Dr.
Daniel Mataruka of the African Agricultural Technology
Foundation (AATF) has written an original article for the
Council for Biotechnology Information blog on the role of ag
biotech in Africa. Dr. Mataruka writes:
"During the past decade,
Africa's population increased from 760 to 970 million,
pushing farmers to encroach on fragile ecosystems. Climate
change is increasingly manifest through erratic rainfall
patterns, prolonged drought spells, and unprecedented
floods, making rain-fed agriculture even more risky, thus
aggravating food insecurity among resource-poor smallholder
farmers. Compounding this scenario are post-harvest pests
that devour their meager harvests. Indeed, the challenges
are great, sometimes disillusioning, but certainly not
insurmountable. Under these circumstances, GM technologies
have a role in addressing challenges that were previously
elusive to classical breeding on its own."
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The Council for
Biotechnology Information communicates science-based
information about the benefits and safety of agricultural
biotechnology and its contributions to sustainable development. |
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